Some Like It Charming (A Temporary Engagement) Read Free

was vanishing fast but he kept a grip on it with iron control. He was going to have fun today, dammit. And maybe they just didn’t want him seeing what kinds of things his ex-girlfriends were saying about him. An ex was never the most reliable judge of a man’s character.
    Not A Frog, A Toad!
    Sarah Milton, one of New York’s leading socialites, was recently heard telling a friend that when she was dating Ethan Howell O’Connor he hit her so hard he broke her nose. Six years ago, Sarah Milton’s nose job had been attributed to allergies, but now we know she was allergic to a fist! Does Prince Charming have a nasty temper hiding behind that pretty face?
    Mackenzie arrived at her first company picnic and instantly decided she shouldn’t have come. She tried hard to keep her real life separate from her work and had never wanted to get caught up in the culture that everyone else seemed to buy into.
    She had coworkers she liked but she didn’t make friends. She never went out to lunch, never joined in for birthday celebrations, didn’t get into office politics, and never, ever went to outside functions. In the sales department, competition was taken to a whole other level and she tried to keep her focus on work. And to leave that work at the door at the end of the day.
    Yet here she was. And all because one pretty boy had asked her to beat him at softball. Ethan O’Connor was a dangerous man.
    But not as dangerous as the whispers being circulated about him. If anyone could have gotten him to lose his temper it would have been her the last few years. He wasn’t the kind of guy that hit women. He liked to persuade and charm people into doing what he wanted; using physical force would seem like an insult to his mental abilities.
    Rob from marketing wandered over to her, looking glum. “You guys are going to whip our ass. There’s no way Ethan is going to be in top form today.”
    She smirked at him. “That is just too bad. You shouldn’t have made that bet.”
    “He was first-team All-Ivy for four years. He’s an all-star. We couldn’t lose.” He watched her take out her worn glove and plop a tattered UCLA visor on her head. He grimaced. “How much did you bet?”
    “No bet. My pleasure is going to come in rubbing his face in it.”
    “You’re a cold woman. Maybe you should go easy on him today.”
    She laughed. “Uh-huh. How much of my team have you tried to guilt into losing today?”
    A small grin peeked out before he hid it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s just going through a rough time right now. The press is going to go wild now that they know he hits women.”
    “He didn’t hit her. And if he was somehow responsible for her broken nose, it was an accident. I would bet on that.”
    “You can’t be sure. Especially with old money. What happens in private, stays private.”
    She said, “True, but I’ve angered him, insulted him, and verbally abused him enough to know that when he gets mad, the charm starts oozing from him. He gets so sweet, you want to throw up. He doesn’t get physical.”
    Rob nodded, looking thoughtful. “I’ve seen him come out of your office like that. And if he had cause to hit anybody, it would be you.”
    “You’re a nice guy, Rob. Now go away and stop talking to my team.”
    He laughed. “I’ll just have to remind Ethan how bad he needs to beat you.” He winked. “At softball, I mean.”
    A frenzy of activity and a change in air pressure alerted Mackenzie that he had arrived. She refused to turn and watch him. Refused to even acknowledge that she wanted to.
    He was a beautiful man. And a beautiful man you could admire from a distance was one thing, but a beautiful man who periodically waltzed into your office, sat in your chair, and ate your candy bars was another thing entirely.
    He found her quick enough though.
    “Hello, Mackenzie. You look ravishing in those yoga pants.”
    She turned, bracing herself. He wore a faded blue Columbia t-shirt